Shoulder cross seatbelts with controlled passenger deceleration

ABSTRACT

A protective harness worn by an occupant of a vehicle which controls the deceleration of the wearer in the event of a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, as would occur on impact with another vehicle or a stationary object. The belts of the harness are coupled with pistons within fluid-containing cylinders anchored to the vehicle. Each piston and cylinder device permits limited movement of the harness under the momentum of the wearer, but also produces a braking action to oppose such movement and arrest the harness, thereby subjecting the wearer to a reduced rate of deceleration rather than a sudden stop. The device may be conveniently released by the wearer to permit free movement when desired or necessary, and the harness construction assures that the belts will ride flatly against the body of the wearer.

United States Patent Keltner Feb. 1, 1972 [541 SHOULDER CROSS SEATBELTSWITH CONTROLLED PASSENGER DECELERATION [72] Inventor: Raymond O.Keltner, 8900 Pawnee Lane,

Leawood, Kans. 66206 [22] Filed: Nov. 17,1969 21 Appl.No.: 877,290

[52] US. Cl ..297/386, 297/389 [51] ..A62b 35/00 [58] Field of Search..297/387, 389, 388, 386; 244/122 B; 188/94, 97; 254/48; 16/56, 51;24/73 PH [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,494,135 5/1924Robinson et al. ..297/386 X 2,680,476 6/1954 Saffell ..244/122.22,880,815 4/1959 Apfelbaum .....297/386 X 2,979,028 4/1961 Zakely..297/389 X 3,371,960 3/1968 Bayeretal ..297/386 Primary Examiner-JamesT. McCall Attorney-D. A. N. Chase [5 7] ABSTRACT A protective harnessworn by an occupant of a vehicle which controls the deceleration of thewearer in the event of a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of thevehicle, as would occur on impact with another vehicle or a stationaryobject. The belts of the harness are coupled with pistons withinfluidcontaining cylinders anchored to the vehicle. Each piston andcylinder device permits limited movement of the harness under themomentum of the wearer, but also produces a braking action to opposesuch movement and arrest the harness, thereby subjecting the wearer to areduced rate of deceleration rather than a sudden stop. The device maybe conveniently released by the wearer to permit free movement whendesired or necessary, and the harness construction assures that thebelts will ride flatly against the body of the wearer.

15 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTED ran I 1972 SHEET 2 OF 2 JNVENTOR.Fay/7700a 0. Ke/fner A 7TORNEY5.

SHOULDER CROSS SEATBELTS WITH CONTROLLED PASSENGER DECELERATION Thisinvention relates to improvements in protective restraining apparatusfor an occupant of a vehicle and, more particularly, to a harnessutilized with braking means that subjects the wearer of the harness to acontrolled rate of deceleration in the event of a collision.

The death rate from automobile accidents is tragically high,particularly when high speeds are involved and in head-ontypecollisions. Although conventional seat belts and the introduction of theshoulder harness have materially contributed to the reduction of severeand fatal injuries, the protection afforded against severe injury ordeath in the event of a head-on collision is minimal when only seatbelts are worn and only somewhat improved with a shoulder harness.

One reason for the relative inability of simple seat belts and harnessesto adequately protect the wearer against the likelihood of seriousinjury or death in a head-on collision is that the belts or harnessesare rigid and anchored to the frame of the vehicle to preclude anypossible movement thereof under the momentum of the wearer. Therefore,on impact, the wearer is either firmly held (by tightly fitting belts)or thrown against the belts and firmly held without any forward movementonce the slack is taken up. Although he may be prevented from strikingthe dashboard or windshield, the trauma and shock of a sudden stop maycause a neck fracture, rupture of vital organs and blood vessels, andgenerate shock waves within the head and body, any of which are equallyas fatal as the obvious hazards present were no belts or harnesses wornat all.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to provideprotective restraining apparatus which reduces the rate of decelerationof an occupant of a vehiclein the event of a sudden stop or decrease inspeed.

As a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of thisinvention to provide apparatus as aforesaid which permits limitedmovement of the wearer of a harness in the event of impact but, at thesame time, arrests the harness by a braking action to control thedeceleration of the wearer.

. Another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus asaforesaid in which the braking force is at a minimum at the outset ofinitial movement of the harness (under the momentum of the wearer) butincreases during such initial movement to progressively decrease therate of deceleration.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide apparatusas aforesaid which utilizes a piston and cylinder assembly to effect thebraking action, the piston having a control orifice and comprising twovmating sections arranged to produce the desired braking action and alsopermit release of the brake when desired.

Accordingly, it is an'important objective of this invention to providesuch apparatus in which the harness may be readily released from thebrake by the wearer to permit free movement and adjustment.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide apparatus asaforesaid having the releasable feature but, should a collision occurwhile the brake is released, which overrides the release and isautomatically operative.

Additionally, it is an objective of this invention to provide apparatusas aforesaid having means which assures that the belts of the harnesswill ride flatly on the body of the wearer.

In the drawings:

FIG. I is a front perspective view showing a seat of a vehicle inphantom lines with the belts of the present invention overlying the seatwhen not in use;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. I but showing the belts locked togetherin their normal position assumed during use when the seat is occupied;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, rear perspective view of the seat showing thelatter in phantom lines and the braking devices mounted within the backof the seat;

FIG. 4 is a further enlarged, plan view of the manually operable releasemechanism, ringcouplings and latch that interlocks the belts;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the piston andcylinder braking devices on an enlarged scale as com pared with FIG. 3and illustrating the two sections of the piston in their normalpositions, the spherical element and the coaxial operating cable beingshown in elevation for clarity;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view of the piston and cylinder similar to FIG.5, the sections of the piston being illustrated in their relativepositions assumed upon actuation of the release mechanism; and

FIG.'8 is a fragmentary view of the piston and cylinder assembly similarto FIG. 5, the sections of the piston being shown closed against eachother shortly after a collision.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a harness is shown on the back of a seat 10 ofan automobile, truck, or other vehicle. The harness comprises a pair ofbelts l2 and I4 which, in use, are interconnected by a latch 16 (FIG. 2)to form a hamess that extends over the shoulders and crosses in front ofthe wearer, the latch 16 being located at the waist or the lower thorax.When in nonuse, the belts I2 and 14 neatly overlie the front of the seatback as shown in FIG. 1.

The belt 12 has a flat, upper belt member 124 and a flat, lower beltmember 12b, the proximal ends of the belt members I2aand 12b beinginterconnected by a ring 18. Similarly, the other belt 14 consists offlat, upper and lower belt members 14a and 14b interconnected at theirproximal ends by a coupling ring 20. The latch 16 is formed on the rings18 and 20 as is clear in FIG. 4 where it may be seen that the latch 16comprises an eye on the ring 20 that receives a T-bar projecting fromthe ring 18. The inner ends of the belt members 12a and 12b, and 14a and14b are looped over the respective rings 18 and 20 so that the beltmembers are freely slidable on the rings, as may be appreciated by acomparison of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 or4.

The belt 12 is connected to a pair of braking devices 22 (FIG. 3)suitably mounted within the seat back and anchored to the frame of thevehicle. Each of the devices 22 comprises permit upright piston andcylinder assembly of special construction'to be hereinafter described indetail. The outer ends of the belt 14 are connected to two additionaldevices 22 (not shown) mounted in the other half of the seat back notillustrated in FIG. 3. Since the arrangement is identical for each ofthe belts 12 and 14, only the coupling of the belt 12 to its associatedpair of braking devices 22 is illustrated herein. It should beunderstood that, where vertical space is available elsewhere, thedevices 22 need not be located within the seat back, this particularlocation being illustrated herein since the back of the seat provides avertical space for the upright cylinders and minimizes the length of thebelts. Regardless of location, however, it is important that the devices22 be anchored to the frame of the vehicle so that relative movement ofthe devices 22 and the vehicle structure will not occur in the event ofa collision.

The upper belt member 12a enters the seat back at the top thereof and istrained over a pair of guide rollers 24 to direct the belt memberdownwardly to its termination 26 where it is joined to a hollow cable 28trained around a guide pulley 30. The cable 28 then extends upwardly andis received within an inverted, U-shaped guide tube 32 at the top of theleft braking device 22. In an analogous manner, the lower belt member12b enters the seat back at the bottom thereof and is trained around apair of rollers 34 to direct the member 12b upwardly, it being connectedat its termination 36 to the cable 28 extending from the guide tube 32of the right braking device 22.

One of the braking devices 22 is illustrated in detail in FIGS. 5-8. Anupright cylinder 38 is filled with a stable fluid (not shown) such as alightweight oil or other nonfreezing and nonvolatile fluid. A piston 40in the cylinder 38 is of two-piece construction and comprises an innersection 42 and an annular, outer section 44. As viewed in plan (FIG. 6)the inner section 42 is circular in configuration; the longitudinalsection of FIG. 5 reveals the inverted, frustoconical shape of the innersection 42 as viewed in transverse cross section. The outer,

lateral surface 46 of the inner section 42 mates with the internalsurface 48 of the annular outer section 44 when the sections are closedagainst each other, as is evident in FIG. 8. It is, therefore, clearthat the mating surfaces 46 and 48 are of inverted, frustoconicalconfiguration, a fluid passage through the piston 40 of variable sizebeing defined by the two surfaces 46 and 48 in accordance with thedegree of separation of the two sections 42 and 44.

A buoyant element 50 in the form of a hollow sphere is disposed beneaththe piston 40 and, when the piston is in its normal position shown inFIG. 5, the element 50 elevates the inner section 42 by engagementtherewith through the circular bottom opening 52 in the outer section44. Passage of fluid around the element 50 is provided by a series ofapertures 54 circumferentially spaced around the edge of the opening 52.

With particular reference to FIG. 8, the configuration of the face 56 ofthe head of the piston 40 (when the surfaces 46 and 48 are mated) isclearly illustrated. The face 56 has a frustoconical taper extendingradially inwardly from the annular outer edge 58. Thus, the centralportion of the inner section 42 is substantially recessed with respectto the outer edge 58, a frustoconical orifice 60 being provided at suchcentral portion communicating the fluid on opposite sides of the piston40 when the inner section 42 is spaced above the element 50. In thisrespect, it should be noted that the element 50 in elevating the innersection 42 (FIG. closes the orifice 60 as the element 50 seats in thecone-shaped, recessed bottom of the inner section 42. The bottom 62 ofthe outer section 44 is also conically recessed to guide the element 50into the bottom opening 52.

The flexible, hollow cable 28 is directed by the guide tube 32 throughan opening in the top of the cylinder 38, the tube 32 being secured tothe top of the cylinder 38 by a flange and bolt mounting 64 providedwith a suitable seal 66 to prevent the escape of fluid from the cylinder38. The inner end of the cable 28 is attached to the top of a sleeve 68provided with an integral collar 70, The bottom of the sleeve 68 iswelded or otherwise secured to three wirelike connecting components 72which extend downwardly and are rigidly joined to the outer pistonsection 44 at the head thereof.

A wire lead 74 is slidably received within the hollow cable 28 and issecured to a reciprocable rod 76 extending through the sleeve 68. Thelower end of the rod 76 is joined to three wirelike components 78 whichextend downwardly and are attached to the inner piston section 42adjacent the upper edge thereof. It may be appreciated, therefore, thata coaxial cable is formed by the hollow cable 28 and internal lead 74.As discussed above with reference to FIG. 3, the outer cable 28 isjoined to one of the ends of the belt 12; however, the lead 74 extendsthrough the cable 28, and is carried by the belt 12 to a releasemechanism 80 (FIG. 4) mounted within the coupling ring 18. Spaced guides82 along the belt 12 serve to hold each of the leads 74 on the belt 12while permitting longitudinal movement thereof. This same arrangement isemployed with respect to the other belt 14.

Each of the release mechanisms 80 comprises a pair of curved lever arms84 pivotally mounted intermediate their ends within the ring 18 or 20.Each lead 74 extends through an eyelet 86 at the end of the associated,belt member and is attached to the proximal end of the respective arm84. As may be appreciated from a comparison of the full and broken lineillustrations in FIG. 4, grasping and squeezing the arms 84 of the twomechanisms 80 shifts the arms to the broken line positions to, in turn,pull the leads 74.

Referring again to FIG. 5, an auxiliary supply cylinder 88 is disposedin side-by-side relationship to the cylinder 38, the bottom end of thesupply cylinder 88 being communicated with the bottom of the cylinder 38by a conduit 90. A valve ball 92 of lesser diameter than the internaldiameter of the cylinder 88 is disposed therewithin and floats at theelevation of the fluid level. An upper seat 94 for the ball 92 is formedadjacent the upper end of the cylinder 88, and a second valve seat 96 isprovided at the lower end of the cylinder 88. The

upper end of the cylinder 88 is open to atmosphere except for thepresence of a removable air filter 98 which prevents the ingress offoreign matter.

A coil spring 100 is telescoped over the cable 28 in cylinder 38 and hasits upper end secured to the top of the cylinder 38 around the openingthrough which the cable 28 extends. The spring 100 serves as a yieldablestop for the piston 40, being engaged by the collar 70 on the sleeve 68if the piston 40 approaches the top of the cylinder 38.

OPERATION Each of the braking devices 22 is filled with fluid throughthe upper end of its supply cylinder 88. The air filter 98 is removedfor filling, it being appreciated that the valve ball 92 is initiallyagainst the lower seat 96. As fluid enters the supply cylinder 88, theball 92 rises with the level of the fluid to permit passage thereofthrough the conduit and into the main cylinder 38. Being smaller indiameter than the internal diameter of the supply cylinder 88, incomingfluid flows around the valve ball 92 during the filling process. Besidesserving as a convenient means of filling or replenishing the maincylinder 38, the supply cylinder 88 also serves to compensate for thedifference in the fluid displace from the main cylinder 38 when thepiston 40 is in its normal position (FIG. 5) and in a position adjacentthe top of the cylinder 38. This difference in displacement is caused bythe substantial change in the length of the cable 28 within the cylinder38 between upper and lower positions ofthe piston 40.

Assuming that a passenger is occupying seat 10 with the belts l2 and 14interlocked by the latch 16 as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the beltsl2 and 14 assume a normal position in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the wearer due to the action of the piston 40 under theforce of gravity. The piston 40 descends in the cylinder 38 until theslack in the cable 38 is taken up, the speed of the downward movement ofthe piston 40 being increased by the action of the buoyant element 50which separates the inner and outer piston sections 42 and 44 asillustrated in FIG. 5. It may be seen that a conical passage between thespaced surfaces 46 and 48 communicates the fluid above and below thepiston 40 thereby permitting the latter to descend relatively rapidlyuntil the cable 28 is tight.

FIG. 7 shows the relative positions of the inner and outer pistonsections 42 and 44 during the prior raising of the piston 40 incident toreleasing the belts 12 and I4 sufficiently to permit the passenger tobecome comfortably seated and lock the belts l2 and 14 together. Thearrow in FIG. 7 indicates the upward movement of the inner section 42caused by actuation of the respective release mechanism 80. As the lead74 coupled with the inner section 42 is pulled longitudinally by themechanism 80, the rod 76 shifts upwardly to, in turn, raise the section42 away from the section 44 and increase the spacing between thesurfaces 46 and 48. This condition within all of the devices 22associated with the belts l2 and 14 allows the latter to be freelyextended and manipulated by the wearer since each of the pistons 40 doesnot significantly impede the withdrawal of the cable 28 to which it isattached. In this respect, it should be understood that quick upwardmovement of the cable 28 separates the outer piston section 44 from thebuoyant element 50 so that the bottom opening 52 is now completely opento fluid flow. During subsequent decent of the piston 40 discussedabove, the opening 52 is closed and flow is restricted to the apertures54.

The normal spacing of the piston sections 42 and 44 and the presence ofthe apertures 54 allow the piston 40 to adjust its position upwardly ordownwardly (though at a relatively slower rate) with the normalmovements of the occupant of the seat 10. However, in the event of asudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, as would occur onimpact with another vehicle or a stationary object, the sudden upwardforce on the cable 28 within the cylinder 38 closes the passage throughthe piston 40 as is illustrated in FIG. 8. With the surfaces 46 and 48now in mating interengagement, the central orifice 60 in the innersection 42 is the only passage remaining for fluid flow from above tobelow the piston 40. The orifice 60 is now open since the rapid upwardmovement of the piston 40 separates the latter from the buoyant element50 as illustrated.

In studying the action of the piston sections 42 and 44 at the time ofimpact, it may be appreciated that the resistance of the piston 40 tomovement is minimum at the time of impact and then progressivelyincreases during initial upward movement of the piston 40 as thesurfaces 46 and 48 close against each other. Once the surfaces 46 and 48are mated, the resistance of the piston 40 is at a maximum and remainsat this level until, in the case of a severe impact, the collar 70engages the spring stop 100 at the top of the cylinder 38. Therefore,the harness provided by the belts l2 and 14 is permitted to move to anextended position under the momentum of the wearer but such movement iscontrolled by the braking action of the piston 40 in order to reduce therate of deceleration of the ,wearers body. The deceleration is reducedin a controlled manner, less at the outset and then limited to aprogressively greater degree, and finally the opposing force of thepiston 40 is held at a constant magnitude by the fixed size of theorifice 60 until the harness (and hence the wearer thereof) is arrested.

a It should be noted that the cone shape of the face 56 of thepistonhead contributes to smooth flow of the fluid thereover to thecentral orifice 60. The frustoconical configuration of the surfaces 46and 48 similarly contributes to smooth operation of the piston 40,particularly just after impact when the passage normally existingbetween the surfaces 46 and 48 is closing to retard the piston.

An important feature of the piston design is that automatic override ofthe release is inherent in the construction. If the piston sections 42and 44 are in the positions shown in FIG. 7, as might be the case duringuse of the harness if the wearer desires to bend forward in the seat,lean over, etc., a sudden impact will still effect the reuniting of thesections 42 and 44 since the sudden pull on the cable 28 raises theouter section 44 relative to the inner section 42 in the same manner asbefore, the only difference being that the annular passage within thepiston 40 is initially larger due to the greater separation of thesurfaces 46 and 48.

it is also important to note that the belts 12 and 14 lie flatly againstthe body of the wearer at all times. This is assured by the rings 18 and20, the inner ends of the belt members 120 and 12b, and 14a and 1412being freely slidable thereon so that the belts conform to the wearersbody configuration regardless of the position of the belts.

The size of the central orifice 60, the angle of the coneshaped surfaces46 and 48, other geometric and dimensional relationships, and theviscosity of the fluid may be varied to produce the programmed brakingforce desired. The braking program may be based on a selected maximumvehicle speed and maximum weight of the passenger, thus designvariations are contemplated in accordance with these parameters.Furthermore, the use of horizontally oriented cylinders rather thanupright and gas under pressure as the fluid medium is contemplated inthe present invention since the basic braking action of the piston 40would still be obtainable. However, it is evident that a horizontallydisposed cylinder could not rely on gravity to return the piston 40 toits normal position or to center the buoyant element 50, thus theaddition of a spring return mechanism or other suitable means would benecessary. For this reason, the upright cylinder configuration is shownand described herein as the preferred construction.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant; a braking device adapted to be anchored tosaid vehicle;

and

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momentum'of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid,

said coupling means connecting said belt means with said piston formovement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shifted awayfrom its normal position under the momentum of the occupant,

said piston having an orifice therein communicating the fluid on bothsides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of the piston andthereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrest thelatter,

said piston further having a head provided with a concave facecircumscribed by an annular edge,-

said orifice communicating with said face centrally thereof radiallyinwardly from said edge.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

said device having means increasing the magnitude of said force duringsaid movement of the belt means away from said normal position.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2,

said force being of minimum magnitude at the outset of said movement ofthe belt means away from its normal position.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

said force being of minimum magnitude at the outset of initial movementof said belt means away from its normal position,

said device having means progressively increasing the magnitude of saidforce during said initial movement.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, and means coupled to said devicefor releasing the latter to permit relatively free movement of said beltmeans away from its normal position.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said face and said orifice beingfrustoconical and of progressively less diameter radially inwardly fromsaid edge.

7. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momentum of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid and having relatively shiftableinner and outer sections provided with mating surfaces,

said coupling means connecting said belt means with one of said sectionsfor movement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shiftedaway from its normal position under the momentum of the occupant,

the other of said sections having an orifice therein communicating thefluid on both sides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of thepiston and thereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrestthe latter; and

means normally maintaining said sections apart from each other to spacesaid surfaces and thereby provide a fluid passage through the piston inaddition to said orifice,

said surfaces closing into mating interengagement upon movement of saidone section with the belt means, whereby to close said passage afterinitial movement of said one section to retard the rate of movement ofthe piston.

8. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momenturn of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant, I

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid and having relatively shiftableinner and outer sections provided with mating surfaces, I

said coupling means connecting said belt'means with one of said sectionsfor movement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shiftedaway from its normal position under the momentum of the occupant,

the other of said sections having an orifice therein communicating thefluid on both sides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of thepiston and thereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrestthe latter; and

release means actuatable by the occupant and coupled to said othersection for shifting the latter relative to said one section to spacesaid surfaces apart a sufficient distance to provide a large fluidpassage through the.

piston relative to the siie of said orifice, whereby to permitrelatively free movement of the belt means away from its normalposition.

9, Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momenturn of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid,

said coupling means connecting said belt means with said piston formovement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shifted awayfrom its normal position under the momentum ofthe occupant,

said piston having an orifice therein communicating the fluid on bothsides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of the piston andthereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrest thelatter,

said cylinder being upright and said piston being reciprocable thereinupwardly and downwardly,

said piston including relatively shiftable inner and outer sectionshaving mating, inverted frustoconical surfaces,

said coupling means being connected to said outer section to effectupward movement thereof with the belt means as the latter is shiftedaway from its normal position,

said inner section having said orifice therein; and

a buoyant element beneath said piston normally engaging the latter tohold said sections apart and space said surfaces to thereby provide afluid passage through the piston in addition to said orifice,

said surfaces closing into mating interengagement upon said upwardmovement of said outer section, whereby to close said passage afterinitial upward movement of said outer section to retard the rate ofmovement of the piston.

10. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momentum of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid,

said coupling means connecting said belt means with said piston formovement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shifted awayfrom its normal position under the momentum of the occupant,

said piston having an orifice therein communicating the fluid on bothsides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of the piston andthereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrest thelatter,

said cylinder being upright and said piston being reciprocable thereinupwardly and downwardly,

said piston including relatively shiftable inner and outer sectionshaving mating, inverted frustoconical surfaces,

said coupling means being connected to said outer section to effectupward movement thereof with the belt means as the latter is shiftedaway from its normal position,

said inner section having said orifice therein; and

release means actuatable by the occupant and coupled to said innersection for raising the latter relative to said outer section to spacesaid surfaces apart a sufficient distance to provide a large fluidpassage through the piston relative to the size of said orifice, wherebyto permit relatively free movement of the belt means away from itsnormal position.

11. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;

means coupling said belt means to said device for move ment away fromsaid normal position under the momenturn of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid,

said coupling means connecting said belt means with said piston formovement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shifted awayfrom its normal position under the momentum of the occupant,

said piston having an orifice therein communicating the fluid on bothsides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of the piston andthereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrest thelatter;-and

a yieldable stop in said cylinder at one end thereof in the path ofmovement of said piston.

12. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normalposition in which the belt means is in relativelytight-fitting'i'elationship to the occupant;

a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle; 10

and

means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momentum of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle,

said device providing a force opposing said movement of the belt meansto arrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined,extended position of the belt means, whereby to control the decelerationof the occupant,

said belt means including a pair of belts,

each of said belts comprising a pair of flat belt members and a ringinterconnecting said members,

said rings being provided with a latch for interconnecting the belts topresent a harness crossing in front of the occupant, a'

said members being slidable on the respective rin s to allow the membersto ride flatly on the body of the occupant.

13. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising:

belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant and having A a normalposition in which the belt means is in relatively tight-fittingrelationship to the occupant;

ment to a predetermined, extended position of the belt means, whereby tocontrol the deceleration of the occupant, said belt means including abelt having a pair of ends,

said coupling means connecting one of said ends with said device, therebeing a second of said devices; and means operably connecting the otherof said ends with sai second device, h t 14. The apparatus as claimedinclaim 8, said release means including a flexible lead extending alongsaid belt means and connected with said other section, v

and a manually operable mechanism on said belt means coupled with saidlead for actuating the latter.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9,

the frustoconical surface of said outer section defining a circularopening in the bottom of said outer section,

said element being of spherical configuration greater in diameter thansaid opening and non'nally received therewithin, I

said outer section having a series of apertures thereincircumferentially spaced around said opening to communicate said passagewith the fluid beneath the piston when the element is received withinsaid opening.

1. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant andhaving a normal position in which the belt means is in relativelytightfitting relationship to the occupant; a braking device adapted tobe anchored to said vehicle; and means coupling said belt means to saiddevice for movement away from said normal position under the momentum ofthe occupant and against the action of said device in response to asudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, said deviceproviding a force opposing said movement of the belt means to arrest thelatter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extended position ofthe belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of the occupant,said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston insaid cylinder movable in said fluid, said coupling means connecting saidbelt means with said piston for movement of the piston with the beltmeans as the latter is shifted away from its normal position under themomentum of the occupant, said piston having an orifice thereincommunicating the fluid on both sides of the piston to limit the rate ofmovement of the piston and thereby apply said opposing force to the beltmeans to arrest the latter, said piston further having a head providedwith a concave face circumscribed by an annular edge, said orificecommunicating with said face centrally thereof radially inwardly fromsaid edge.
 2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said device havingmeans increasing the magnitude of said force during said movement of thebelt means away from said normal position.
 3. The apparatus as claimedin claim 2, said force being of minimum magnitude at the outset of saidmovement of the belt means away from its normal position.
 4. Theapparatus as claimed in claim 1, said force being of minimum magnitudeat the outset of initial movement of said belt means away from itsnormal position, said device having means progressively increasing themagnitude of said force during said initial movement.
 5. The apparatusas claimed in claim 1, and means coupled to said device for releasingthe latter to permit relatively free movement of said belt means awayfrom its normal position.
 6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, saidface and said orifice being frustoconical and of progressively lessdiameter radially inwardly from said edge.
 7. Protective restrainingapparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising: beltmeans adapted to be worn by said occupant and having a normal positionin which the belt means is in relatively tight-fitting relationship tothe occupant; a braking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle;means coupling said belt means to said device for movement away fromsaid normal position under the momentum of the occupant and against theaction of said device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in thespeed of the vehicle, said device providing a force opposing saidmovement of the belt means to arrest the latter and limit said movementto a predetermined, extended position of the belt means, whereby tocontrol the deceleration of the occupant, said device including acylinder having a fluid therein, and a piston in said cylinder movablein said fluid and having relatively shiftable inner and outer sectionsprovided with mating surfaces, said coupling means connecting said beltmeans with one of said sections for movement of the piston with the beltmeans as the latter is shifted away from its normal position under themomentum of the occupant, the other of said sections having an orificetherein communicating the fluid on both sides of the piston to limit therate of movement of the piston and thereby apply said opposing force tothe belt means to arrest the latter; and means normally maintaining saidsections apart from each other to space said surfaces and therebyprovide a fluid passage through the piston in addition to said orifice,said surfaces closing into mating interengagement upon movement of saidone section with the belt means, whereby to close said passage afterinitial movement of said one section to retard the rate of movement ofthe piston.
 8. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of avehicle, said apparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn bysaid occupant and having a normal position in which the belt means is inrelatively tight-fitting relationship to the occupant; a braking deviceadapted to be anchored to said vehicle; means coupling said belt meansto said device for movement away from said normal position under themomentum of the occupant and against the action of said device inresponse to a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, saiddevice providing a force opposing said movement of the belt means toarrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extendedposition of the belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of theoccupant, said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and apiston in said cylinder movable in said fluid and having relativelyshiftable inner and outer sections provided with mating surfaces, saidcoupling means connecting said belt means with one of said sections formovement of the piston with the belt means as the latter is shifted awayfrom its normal position under the momentum of the occupant, the otherof said sections having an orifice therein communicating thE fluid onboth sides of the piston to limit the rate of movement of the piston andthereby apply said opposing force to the belt means to arrest thelatter; and release means actuatable by the occupant and coupled to saidother section for shifting the latter relative to said one section tospace said surfaces apart a sufficient distance to provide a large fluidpassage through the piston relative to the size of said orifice, wherebyto permit relatively free movement of the belt means away from itsnormal position.
 9. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant ofa vehicle, said apparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn bysaid occupant and having a normal position in which the belt means is inrelatively tight-fitting relationship to the occupant; a braking deviceadapted to be anchored to said vehicle; means coupling said belt meansto said device for movement away from said normal position under themomentum of the occupant and against the action of said device inresponse to a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, saiddevice providing a force opposing said movement of the belt means toarrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extendedposition of the belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of theoccupant, said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and apiston in said cylinder movable in said fluid, said coupling meansconnecting said belt means with said piston for movement of the pistonwith the belt means as the latter is shifted away from its normalposition under the momentum of the occupant, said piston having anorifice therein communicating the fluid on both sides of the piston tolimit the rate of movement of the piston and thereby apply said opposingforce to the belt means to arrest the latter, said cylinder beingupright and said piston being reciprocable therein upwardly anddownwardly, said piston including relatively shiftable inner and outersections having mating, inverted frustoconical surfaces, said couplingmeans being connected to said outer section to effect upward movementthereof with the belt means as the latter is shifted away from itsnormal position, said inner section having said orifice therein; and abuoyant element beneath said piston normally engaging the latter to holdsaid sections apart and space said surfaces to thereby provide a fluidpassage through the piston in addition to said orifice, said surfacesclosing into mating interengagement upon said upward movement of saidouter section, whereby to close said passage after initial upwardmovement of said outer section to retard the rate of movement of thepiston.
 10. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of avehicle, said apparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn bysaid occupant and having a normal position in which the belt means is inrelatively tight-fitting relationship to the occupant; a braking deviceadapted to be anchored to said vehicle; means coupling said belt meansto said device for movement away from said normal position under themomentum of the occupant and against the action of said device inresponse to a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, saiddevice providing a force opposing said movement of the belt means toarrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extendedposition of the belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of theoccupant, said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and apiston in said cylinder movable in said fluid, said coupling meansconnecting said belt means with said piston for movement of the pistonwith the belt means as the latter is shifted away from its normalposition under the momentum of the occupant, said piston having anorifice therein communicating the fluid on both sides of the piston tolimit the rate of movement of the piston and thereby apply said opposingforce to the belt Means to arrest the latter, said cylinder beingupright and said piston being reciprocable therein upwardly anddownwardly, said piston including relatively shiftable inner and outersections having mating, inverted frustoconical surfaces, said couplingmeans being connected to said outer section to effect upward movementthereof with the belt means as the latter is shifted away from itsnormal position, said inner section having said orifice therein; andrelease means actuatable by the occupant and coupled to said innersection for raising the latter relative to said outer section to spacesaid surfaces apart a sufficient distance to provide a large fluidpassage through the piston relative to the size of said orifice, wherebyto permit relatively free movement of the belt means away from itsnormal position.
 11. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant ofa vehicle, said apparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn bysaid occupant and having a normal position in which the belt means is inrelatively tight-fitting relationship to the occupant; a braking deviceadapted to be anchored to said vehicle; means coupling said belt meansto said device for movement away from said normal position under themomentum of the occupant and against the action of said device inresponse to a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, saiddevice providing a force opposing said movement of the belt means toarrest the latter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extendedposition of the belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of theoccupant, said device including a cylinder having a fluid therein, and apiston in said cylinder movable in said fluid, said coupling meansconnecting said belt means with said piston for movement of the pistonwith the belt means as the latter is shifted away from its normalposition under the momentum of the occupant, said piston having anorifice therein communicating the fluid on both sides of the piston tolimit the rate of movement of the piston and thereby apply said opposingforce to the belt means to arrest the latter; and a yieldable stop insaid cylinder at one end thereof in the path of movement of said piston.12. Protective restraining apparatus for an occupant of a vehicle, saidapparatus comprising: belt means adapted to be worn by said occupant andhaving a normal position in which the belt means is in relativelytight-fitting relationship to the occupant; a braking device adapted tobe anchored to said vehicle; and means coupling said belt means to saiddevice for movement away from said normal position under the momentum ofthe occupant and against the action of said device in response to asudden stop or decrease in the speed of the vehicle, said deviceproviding a force opposing said movement of the belt means to arrest thelatter and limit said movement to a predetermined, extended position ofthe belt means, whereby to control the deceleration of the occupant,said belt means including a pair of belts, each of said belts comprisinga pair of flat belt members and a ring interconnecting said members,said rings being provided with a latch for interconnecting the belts topresent a harness crossing in front of the occupant, said members beingslidable on the respective rings to allow the members to ride flatly onthe body of the occupant.
 13. Protective restraining apparatus for anoccupant of a vehicle, said apparatus comprising: belt means adapted tobe worn by said occupant and having a normal position in which the beltmeans is in relatively tight-fitting relationship to the occupant; abraking device adapted to be anchored to said vehicle; means couplingsaid belt means to said device for movement away from said normalposition under the momentum of the occupant and against the action ofsaid device in response to a sudden stop or decrease in the speed of thevehicle, said device providing a force opposing said movement of thebelt means to arrest the latter and limit said movement to apredetermined, extended position of the belt means, whereby to controlthe deceleration of the occupant, said belt means including a belthaving a pair of ends, said coupling means connecting one of said endswith said device, there being a second of said devices; and meansoperably connecting the other of said ends with said second device. 14.The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, said release means including aflexible lead extending along said belt means and connected with saidother section, and a manually operable mechanism on said belt meanscoupled with said lead for actuating the latter.
 15. The apparatus asclaimed in claim 9, the frustoconical surface of said outer sectiondefining a circular opening in the bottom of said outer section, saidelement being of spherical configuration , greater in diameter than saidopening and normally received therewithin, said outer section having aseries of apertures therein circumferentially spaced around said openingto communicate said passage with the fluid beneath the piston when theelement is received within said opening.